Tripartite Council fails to reach unanimous agreement on measures against high prices

The National Council for Tripartite Cooperation (which includes trade unions, employers' organisations and the government) failed to reach unanimous agreement on measures aimed at tackling high prices, as set out in the Consumer Protection Act and the Competition Protection Act.

The amendments, which have already passed a first reading in Parliament, propose a doubling of penalties for breaches of anti-monopoly legislation, a ban on excessively high prices and the introduction of the concept of a “fair price”.

Trade unions and employers did, however, support an increase in the minimum pension from 1 July by €25.14.

After nearly two hours of discussions, the tripartite partners failed to reach unanimous agreement on proposals aimed at tackling high prices. Employers’ organisations stressed that they were not outright rejecting all of the proposed amendments in the two draft laws, but were instead abstaining in order to allow time for necessary revisions before the second reading. Trade unions, however, expressed support for the measures.

Rumen Radev, Chairman of the Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria (AICB): “What is particularly important for us is that the underlying philosophy should not assume that the trader or participant in the pricing process is automatically in the wrong, inherently at fault or inevitably responsible for misconduct.”

Plamen Dimitrov, President of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB/KNSB), said: “We will reach a point where it becomes clear how these draft laws — which do not regulate prices directly — can have a positive impact, first by ensuring a fairer distribution and redistribution of mark-ups from producer to consumer, and at the same time creating conditions that could even lead to lower prices.”

The Tripartite Council also approved the proposal to increase the minimum pension for length of service and old age from 1 July.

Galab Donev, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister: “Members of the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation, with the exception of the Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria, reached unanimous agreement on the proposed increase in the minimum pension for length of service and old age from €322.37 to €347.51.”

Government proposes increase in minimum pension from 1 July

Natalia Efremova, Minister of Labour and Social Policy: “This will also automatically lead to an adjustment of survivors’ pensions, as well as disability pensions related to general illness and occupational disease.”

photos by BGNES

For the proposed pension increase to come into effect, it must first be approved by Parliament.